This storm is you, Zahra Saleki, 2017, Photography.
Sky & Bone curated by Jesse King
Sky & Bone: Realities Unbound, is an exhibition featuring more than thirty fine art pieces from the City of Toronto collection alongside works from contemporary Canadian artists.
The show takes place at 401 Richmond St. W, Unit 128, From November 21, 2025, to January 24, 2026.
Hear from Zahra Saleki, 2024 Best of Art Fair Recipient, and Julia Asimakopulos, 2025 Best of Online Art Fair Recipient, as they reflect on working with curator Jesse King on Sky & Bone alongside established voices — plus Jesse’s own insights on their work with TOAF and its artists.
Jesse’s Insights
You have curated two exhibitions at TOAF, what did those opportunities mean to you and how have they impacted your work?
Working with the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair was a meaningful experience for me, especially being able to be involved through the Indigenous Curatorial Collective for Emerging Artists & Curators award.
The two exhibitions gave me the opportunity to explore two central themes I continue to research throughout my practice. Blushing Bodies focused on the art of camp, the importance of queer identity and the human form. While Ethereal Forms evoked a sense of lightness and transcendence, bringing together artists whose practices navigate memory, identity, landscape, and the unseen.
TOAF is an amazing platform for artists and curators to grow their practice. More importantly, it creates community and long-term connections. I have continued to stay in touch with all the artists I have encountered over the years at TOAF and regularly seek out artists when exploring future projects.
Zahra Saleki’s Reflections
What did it mean for you to be a part of this show?
Being part of Sky & Bone has been profoundly meaningful for me. Standing in a room where my work is in dialogue with the City of Toronto’s iconic art collection — artists I’ve admired for years — felt both grounding and surreal. It reminded me why I make art: to be part of a larger conversation about memory, place, and being human. I truly loved the way it curated, each art had its own space to be really seen, I felt every art in that room had a bigger meanings of why they got stock together
To see my work hold its own among such established voices was deeply affirming, especially as someone still carving her own path. It was emotional for me in a quiet, internal way — like something clicked, and I understood that my small storm of a practice belongs in these wider landscapes.
Jesse King discovered your work at TOAF, what is it like being part of one of his exhibitions for the second time?
Working with Jesse again feels like coming full circle. They discovered my work at TOAF, which already changed the trajectory of my practice, and experiencing their curatorial vision in this completely different context was incredible. Jesse sees connections in my work that even I sometimes miss, and this show allowed me to understand new layers of my own photographs.
Their trust and care in how they place artists together creates a rare sense of visibility — not just being shown, but being truly understood. Being part of their exhibition for the second time reminds me how formative TOAF has been for my career, and how these moments of recognition can open doors you never expect.
Julia Asimakopulos’s Reflections
What was your experience being a part of this show?
Being a part of this exhibition has been a tremendous honor, and the warmth and inspiration I felt at the opening, with its special ceremonies, have stayed with me. When Jesse King first described the project, I wasn’t sure how my work would fit into the broader vision. But witnessing how they transformed the space with warm hues and a thoughtful selection of artworks helped me understand the dialogue they envisioned and how it connected to the themes and materials in my own practice. Standing alongside both historical and contemporary pieces dissolved any sense of cultural or temporal distance—I felt deeply connected to the elements, and moved by an experience of timelessness and universality.
Since Jesse King first discovered your work at TOAF, what has it been like to collaborate with him again?
Being part of Sky & Bone represented a significant shift from my initial inclusion in Jesse King’s exhibition at TOAF – it felt like an upgrade to first class. It was also an opportunity to fully appreciate Jesse’s depth as a curator. Though quiet and unassuming, they are a remarkable visionary, and seeing how they selected and arranged my works amongst the other artists made their sensitivity and curatorial insight unmistakable. They also encouraged me to present certain pieces sculpturally rather than as wall-mounted works, which added new dimensionality and broadened how I think about my own practice. Returning to one of their exhibitions – especially in such a different context – has been genuinely inspiring, and I would gladly welcome the chance to collaborate with them again in the future.
